Poem in October
Tone – sentimental, nostalgic and reflective
Structure – free verse, typography and enjambment
(mirrors the speaker’s journey)
o literal and figurative journey of his past and of his memories
o potential of nature (spiritual) & glory of imagination
o part of the Romantic movement
o we are more involved in the material world – important to recover the inner child
o “parables of sunlight” – metaphor – lessons are found in natural world through the glory of God (learns more being in nature)
o “heron priested shore” – heron = deity in the natural world, water imagery = spiritual – baptism and spiritual reconnection
o “winged trees” = transferred epithet (makes trees seem alive with movement)
o ends with a prayer - to recover the lost child, reclaim the joy and magic he once had and has lost as an adult
Romantic Poems: Fascination with nature, reverence for the natural world, authentic
feelings, imagination prioritised, sublime – fear and awe (spirituality)
Poem in October: Kubla Khan:
§ Emphasis on nature: § Emphasis on nature:
The sublime Exquisite
Vivid imagery Powerful
Deep love & appreciation for nature
§ Reverence natural world:
§ God in natural world: Respect
Holiness in nature
(its beauty & power = awe) § Authentic feelings:
Exclamations
§ Authentic feelings:
Tears § Imagination as a priority:
For escapism
§ Imagination as a priority: (what a poet aspires to)
Metaphorical journey
Recover the inner child
Kubla Khan
Structure – disordered attempt at structure, inconsistent rhymes, uneven division of stanzas (mirrors his attempt to try structure his thoughts)
o man vs nature (frustration that imagination is not valued)
o reverence for natural world, fear and admiration for sublime
o area far beyond man’s comprehension yet man still tries to assert himself
o ambition puts man at the mercy of nature, possible invaders and Kubla Khan’s relatives (shows how his power is finite)
o psychological chaos as he tries to control his thoughts and he lapses – frustration as he is unable to finish the poem after he is interrupted
o interruption = metaphor for the thwarting of a visionary genius
o imagination = eternally powerful – what Coleridge aspires to and needs in order to finish the poem – endless possibilities: would inspire him so
he could re-create Xanadu in his mind and there it could never be destroyed
o appreciation for nature = sibilance & sensory imagery
o “earth eruption” – earth is personified as unpredictable, passionate, threatening and powerful
o water image = instability as his dream becomes more unstable = metaphorical fading in his mind
o “mingled measure” – music just like the poem is mingled but still a harmonious combination
, The Pauper
Tone – scathing
Structure – free verse – social commentary & outpour
o exposes and condemns a societal system which does not assist the poor
o denounces those in authority who do not help to alleviate suffering
o constant questioning, direct address & contrasts poverty and wealthy – modelled on Blake’s Tyger Tyger
o debates the forces responsible for the pauper’s suffering – all are responsible even the speaker
o “He admire...”, “impudent presence” – impertinent to God? the pauper is a reminder that not everything is beautiful and that His people are not
charitable - * blames God for the pauper’s suffering
o “sense of endurance” - discourse is patronising – poverty is romanticised to allow us to avoid deep issues but his plight is real
o “beautiful cars reflect on you” - interrogates the wealth gap and how nobody assists the pauper
o “pat his paunch”- Earthly Gods = politicians in power – well-fed and affluent politicians with little care / empathy for the pauper who is merely a
“supplementary question” / inconvenience
o society is accused of the crime of dehumanisation and indifference
Stealing
Tone – uncaring, cynical
Structure – free verse & enjambment – natural speech
o social isolation, class resentment, disenchanted youth
o alienation, futility & boredom in 1980’s Margaret Thatcher’s society
o speaker’s feelings of inadequacy and purposelessness - speaker is sadistic and self-destructive – his futility
o parallels between speaker and snowman: both isolated, lonely & silenced in society
o “my breath ripped out in rags” – simile – breath is valuable but rags are not, shows that he thinks he is of no value to society
o guitar and bust = poignant image, steals what he can’t have yet is unable to use it
o class resentment – belongs to a society where culture is not valued
o he will forever be alienated – may seem aggressive to reader, or merely defending himself
o Diction – colloquial and blunt (thief), some lyric words – sense of what the thief wants – tension – he exists in more than 1 dimension
o poet is sympathetic, curious and tries to understand speaker, thief is hopeless, alienated and cynical
These Fought in any Case
Tone – critical, resentful, sincere and sarcastic
Structure – free verse - authenticity
o anti-war poem, resents the loss of life, negates the expectations vs reality of war
o men became soldiers for various reasons (volunteer, reprimanded, pressure)
o criticism on propaganda which glamorises war as noble & patriotic – all lies created by politicians
o actual horror of war: desensitisation, paying the ultimate sacrifice, no honour in dying for one’s country
o soldiers used as pawns to enact political agendas – politicians cling to power – no moral reasons for war
o soldiers forced into making the ultimate sacrifice = botched civilisation, disillusionment of propaganda
o use of anaphora on “some” – repetition shows the vast number who went to war/ volunteered/ were pressured
o “dulce non et décor” – death not glorious or noble – alliteration emphasises the disgust at the betrayal
Tone – sentimental, nostalgic and reflective
Structure – free verse, typography and enjambment
(mirrors the speaker’s journey)
o literal and figurative journey of his past and of his memories
o potential of nature (spiritual) & glory of imagination
o part of the Romantic movement
o we are more involved in the material world – important to recover the inner child
o “parables of sunlight” – metaphor – lessons are found in natural world through the glory of God (learns more being in nature)
o “heron priested shore” – heron = deity in the natural world, water imagery = spiritual – baptism and spiritual reconnection
o “winged trees” = transferred epithet (makes trees seem alive with movement)
o ends with a prayer - to recover the lost child, reclaim the joy and magic he once had and has lost as an adult
Romantic Poems: Fascination with nature, reverence for the natural world, authentic
feelings, imagination prioritised, sublime – fear and awe (spirituality)
Poem in October: Kubla Khan:
§ Emphasis on nature: § Emphasis on nature:
The sublime Exquisite
Vivid imagery Powerful
Deep love & appreciation for nature
§ Reverence natural world:
§ God in natural world: Respect
Holiness in nature
(its beauty & power = awe) § Authentic feelings:
Exclamations
§ Authentic feelings:
Tears § Imagination as a priority:
For escapism
§ Imagination as a priority: (what a poet aspires to)
Metaphorical journey
Recover the inner child
Kubla Khan
Structure – disordered attempt at structure, inconsistent rhymes, uneven division of stanzas (mirrors his attempt to try structure his thoughts)
o man vs nature (frustration that imagination is not valued)
o reverence for natural world, fear and admiration for sublime
o area far beyond man’s comprehension yet man still tries to assert himself
o ambition puts man at the mercy of nature, possible invaders and Kubla Khan’s relatives (shows how his power is finite)
o psychological chaos as he tries to control his thoughts and he lapses – frustration as he is unable to finish the poem after he is interrupted
o interruption = metaphor for the thwarting of a visionary genius
o imagination = eternally powerful – what Coleridge aspires to and needs in order to finish the poem – endless possibilities: would inspire him so
he could re-create Xanadu in his mind and there it could never be destroyed
o appreciation for nature = sibilance & sensory imagery
o “earth eruption” – earth is personified as unpredictable, passionate, threatening and powerful
o water image = instability as his dream becomes more unstable = metaphorical fading in his mind
o “mingled measure” – music just like the poem is mingled but still a harmonious combination
, The Pauper
Tone – scathing
Structure – free verse – social commentary & outpour
o exposes and condemns a societal system which does not assist the poor
o denounces those in authority who do not help to alleviate suffering
o constant questioning, direct address & contrasts poverty and wealthy – modelled on Blake’s Tyger Tyger
o debates the forces responsible for the pauper’s suffering – all are responsible even the speaker
o “He admire...”, “impudent presence” – impertinent to God? the pauper is a reminder that not everything is beautiful and that His people are not
charitable - * blames God for the pauper’s suffering
o “sense of endurance” - discourse is patronising – poverty is romanticised to allow us to avoid deep issues but his plight is real
o “beautiful cars reflect on you” - interrogates the wealth gap and how nobody assists the pauper
o “pat his paunch”- Earthly Gods = politicians in power – well-fed and affluent politicians with little care / empathy for the pauper who is merely a
“supplementary question” / inconvenience
o society is accused of the crime of dehumanisation and indifference
Stealing
Tone – uncaring, cynical
Structure – free verse & enjambment – natural speech
o social isolation, class resentment, disenchanted youth
o alienation, futility & boredom in 1980’s Margaret Thatcher’s society
o speaker’s feelings of inadequacy and purposelessness - speaker is sadistic and self-destructive – his futility
o parallels between speaker and snowman: both isolated, lonely & silenced in society
o “my breath ripped out in rags” – simile – breath is valuable but rags are not, shows that he thinks he is of no value to society
o guitar and bust = poignant image, steals what he can’t have yet is unable to use it
o class resentment – belongs to a society where culture is not valued
o he will forever be alienated – may seem aggressive to reader, or merely defending himself
o Diction – colloquial and blunt (thief), some lyric words – sense of what the thief wants – tension – he exists in more than 1 dimension
o poet is sympathetic, curious and tries to understand speaker, thief is hopeless, alienated and cynical
These Fought in any Case
Tone – critical, resentful, sincere and sarcastic
Structure – free verse - authenticity
o anti-war poem, resents the loss of life, negates the expectations vs reality of war
o men became soldiers for various reasons (volunteer, reprimanded, pressure)
o criticism on propaganda which glamorises war as noble & patriotic – all lies created by politicians
o actual horror of war: desensitisation, paying the ultimate sacrifice, no honour in dying for one’s country
o soldiers used as pawns to enact political agendas – politicians cling to power – no moral reasons for war
o soldiers forced into making the ultimate sacrifice = botched civilisation, disillusionment of propaganda
o use of anaphora on “some” – repetition shows the vast number who went to war/ volunteered/ were pressured
o “dulce non et décor” – death not glorious or noble – alliteration emphasises the disgust at the betrayal
